Judith Post's Blog, page 47

Rachel Sherwood Roberts’s story

My friend, Rachel Roberts, writes beautiful literary novels and stories, so that’s the type of mystery she contributed to MURDER THEY WROTE. It’s a character-driven murder, and this is the review Priscilla Bettis wrote for it. “I was hesitant to read the literary story because I thought I’d have to work too hard to figure it out, or that it’d feel too stuffy, but “Swallowtail” ended up being my favorite! It’s long enough to be meaty and have a lot of character development, and it’s enjoyable enough that I went back to re-read parts to see what clues I had missed.” Thank you, Priscilla!

(You can find her blog here: https://priscillabettisauthor.com/)

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D.P. Reisig’s Story

Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer before he became president. And some of his shenanigans might surprise you. D.P. Reisig has done a lot of research on Lincoln, and her story shares one of his court cases when he defended a close friend’s son, who was accused of murder.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is going to be a little smaller and lonelier this year because of Covid. But…we’re still going to get together with my daughter and my sister and cousin. And I’m still going to make a turkey and dressing and sides. We’re still going to celebrate because, so far, we’re all still healthy, and we’ve all had many blessings that deserve to be appreciated. Instead of focusing on what we DON’T have this year, or what went wrong, I want to focus on the good things in our lives, and they’re numerous. Lots of love. Plenty of laughter. And wonderful family and friends. And yes, I sound sappy, because this has been a hard year for everyone I know, including us, but we still had more good things than bad. I hope you have, too.

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Mae Clair’s Story

Mae Clair’s A WINTER RECKONING was mentioned over and over again as a favorite in the anthology.

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Julia Donner’s Story

MURDER THEY WROTE is only $1.99 now. 7 authors, 7 different genres. Marcia Meara wrote in her review: “I love anthologies, and couldn’t wait to get my hands on Murder They Wrote. I wasn’t disappointed. The variety of genres and styles is wonderful and truly offers something for everyone. I enjoyed the entire book, but was especially drawn to the subtle humor of Julia Donner’s “Murder at a Garden Party,” the wonderfully interesting main character from C. S. Boyack’s “From the Files of Jason Fogg,” and the gloriously Medieval Knights, Lords, and Ladies populating Mae Clair’s “A Winter Reckoning.” No doubt each reader will have his or her own favorites, but those three tales really pulled me in.” Thank you, Marcia!

(You can find her blog here: https://marciamearawrites.com/about/)

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Kathleen Palm’s Story

MURDER THEY WROTE is only $1.99 now. I contributed a Jazzi Zanders short novella. Kathleen Palm wrote an eerie ghost story that’s received lots of great mentions. It’s one of the favorites in the collection.

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More Shameless Promotion

MURDER THEY WROTE is only $1.99 now. I contributed a Jazzi Zanders story. C.S. Boyack wrote a Jason Fogg mystery for it:

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On Sale

The anthology I’m in is on sale now for $1.99. Since the holidays are coming, and everyone gets busy, you might want to be able to read one short mystery or novella a night. My contribution is a Jazzi Zanders short novella, THE BODY IN THE KITCHEN.

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Finesse

These days, I enjoy reading a larger number of writers than I did when I was younger. Back then, the only books I bought were in book stores, and I always looked for my favorite authors. I didn’t experiment often. It pained me to pay for a paperback, get a few chapters into it, and then realize I didn’t like it, but since I paid for the darned thing, I almost always finished it. I couldn’t bring myself to throw a book away, so I usually stuck it on a high shelf on my bookcase that I didn’t look at often, or I tossed it on the table at a local store where people traded used paperbacks.

Now that I have a Kindle, I’m more adventurous. I’m more willing to pay $2.99 to $5.99 for a book that I’m not sure I’ll enjoy. If it doesn’t grab me in three chapters or if it just isn’t my thing, I stop reading there and don’t mind sending it into cyber archives. I don’t feel the need to finish a book I start anymore, but since I’m trying more authors and more styles, I’ve had more luck finding new writers I like.

There are many, many authors I read just for entertainment at the end of the day. I consider these writers storytellers. They keep me engaged with their characters and their exploits. So much so, that I often buy the next book in their series. But what a joy it is when I find a writer with finesse. For me, finesse is a book where the elements of writing all come together in a serendipitous symphony of harmony. A hard thing to accomplish. I can count books like that on my fingers and only a few toes. Even the same author can’t pull it off every time.

These are some of the things I feel elevate a book from the usual to the extraordinary:

Characters who are memorableA storyline that’s captivating page after page, either through beauty or tensionLayers that deepen the book’s main questionA theme that challenges the reader and makes him think Pacing that never tempts him to put the book down Language that lingers on the tongue and in the mind. And all of these things need to blend into one cohesive, wonderful whole

And these are some of the books (I’m not listing classics) that qualify for finesse for me:

Alice Hoffman’s PRACTICAL MAGIC with its mix of magic and lyrical language.Sarah Addison Allen’s GARDEN SPELLS. Another blend of magical realism and lyrical writing.Elizabeth George’s literary mystery, A GREAT DELIVERANCE with its deeply flawed characters. Mae Clair’s END OF DAY in her Hode’s Hill series, as beautifully written as it is plotted. Staci Troilo’s third book, THE STONES, in her Alien Invasion series with characters, tension, and action masterfully mixed.Julia Donner’s, (a close friend of mine), AVENUE TO HEAVEN. Yes, I’m biased, but I think she writes historical romances and Regencies exceptionally well. P.J. Parrish’s Louis Kincaid series (I’ve only read books 2 and 3 so far, but mean to read more)And I have to mention Anna Lee Huber’s Lady Darby series.

Reading is personal and subjective, so what I consider a standout might not stir someone else to even turn a page. So what about you? What author do you read because you admire their writing? What books do you consider exceptional?

A Bummer

I hosted my writers’ club yesterday for the last time this year, and it made me sad. We couldn’t meet at all during Shut Down, and when libraries finally opened up again in March, we still weren’t allowed in our usual spot–a meeting room in the library. It was just too horrible not seeing each other, so we started getting together at my place. (HH takes off for the day. He loves us as people, but isn’t into listening to us read chapters:)

At the library, we met from 12:30 to 2:30 to talk writing and listen to three readers who’d signed up to share with us that day. Then we’d head to The Tower Grill and Bar to eat and yak. The yakking, to me, was as important as the meeting. My writer friends always recharge my battery and motivate me. So besides having everyone come to our house, I cooked for them. (Let’s face it. I love cooking for people I care about).

But Covid numbers are rising again, and it looks like they’re only going to get worse, so I reluctantly had to tell everyone that I couldn’t host our Christmas get-together, and we all agreed to pass on it this year. I can’t tell you how much I always look forward to our Christmas carry-in. There’s no business, no reading, just fun and lots of food. When the last person left our house yesterday, I was in a bit of a funk. But ultimately, I’d rather be safe than sorry.

I’ve been writing short stories with sappy, happy endings lately, but they’ve been kind of an antidote for many of the things I’ve been missing. We’ve been extra careful because I help with my cousin once in a while, and she’s so frail, she’d be in trouble if she caught Covid. So no restaurants for us except for occasional carry-out. No get-togethers with groups of friends. One of the nice things about writing, though, is that it can be therapeutic. I can’t change the voice and tone of the books I’m working on. They have a certain style, and I don’t want to mess with that. When a reader (including me) follows a series, it’s because certain things appeal to him or her. That’s what he wants and expects in the next book, too. But short stories? They can be tinkered with:)

Anyway, I’ve made it to the middle of Jazzi 7, and I’m reaching the pages that are usually the hardest for me to write. So it’s back to business. It’s time to knuckle down and pump out pages. If you’re a NaNo participant, you’re probably at that place now, and I hope the pages are filling for you. But even if you’re not pushing to reach 50,000 words, happy writing anyway! And stay healthy and happy.